


What wouldn’t I do for you

by the_new_little_writer



Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cuddling, Electric Torture, F/M, Fluff, Humiliation, Hurt/Comfort, I love them so much even if i can’t write, Marriage Proposal, Torture, Vomiting, Waterboarding, they’re so cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2020-07-11 17:28:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19931803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_new_little_writer/pseuds/the_new_little_writer
Summary: Set somewhere after season 3, my angsty take on what could happen (even if it definitely won’t be canon and my characters might be a bit occ)





	1. Missed me that much?

The metal cuffs kept Raquel’s hands tightly knotted behind her back, and the officer staring at her with fixed unyielding eyes clutching a Remington 700 dissuaded her from attempting any type of move.

Sergio’s words were still resonating in her head, keeping her mind occupied instead of facing the reality of what’s happening to her. 

“You were my first love”.

She could still feel his phantom kiss on her lips, already missing him. The mere thought of the pain she’s putting her lover through as he was probably mourning her made her wince. “I’m in love with you” he had told her. 

And so am I, she wanted to tell him, so am I. 

So madly, madly in love that she did not hesitate to throw her entire life away to follow him. So madly in love that she did not give up his position even when she thought they were going to kill her. So madly I love that just thinking of him made her smile through the tears that had dried on her face.

The car ride back to Madrid felt like an eternity. Raquel has no idea what was going to happen to her. She doubted they would put her through the same torture they inflicted to Rio, but she also knew that they wouldn’t let her go before making her spill every little detail about Sergio’s plan. She was already mentally preparing herself to the tedious interrogation hours that were going to follow. 

Several hours and a lot of roads bumps later, Raquel found herself sitting in the same a prison cell shackled to a wall and facing the Inspectora Sierra. 

“I’m very sorry for the inconvenience Raquel, but the Professor has the frustrating habit of freeing every member of the band we managed to capture. So this time we decided not to take too many risks.”

Raquel’s brows rose at the pregnant woman.

“You’re not gonna stay silent are you? You wouldn’t be very useful that way...”

Raquel didn’t move .

“You know, no one knows you’re alive. Not even your precious boyfriend. We can do anything we want with you and no one will hold us accountable for it.”

Raquel threw her hair back.

“I want my lawyer” she said.

“Lawyer? That’s a funny one.” answered Sierra “on all the records dear, you’re dead. Dead people don’t have lawyers.”

Raquel inhaled deeply. She knew the interrogation techniques of the police by heart, but Sierra seemed keen on breaking all the protocols.

“You know, you could start telling us what you know about the Professor and his plans. We’re going to convince you eventually so why go through the trouble?”

“I don’t know anything about the Professor’s plan. He never told us anything that wasn’t related to our role.”

“You see, I don’t believe you. But...” she moved closer to the chair “I know exactly how to get you to talk.” 

Raquel rolled her eyes but Sierra only smiled and closed the light as she exited the room.

As darkness replaced the faint glow of the cell’s lamp, Raquel inhaled deeply. Then, she started the meditation routine she had practiced for hours next to Sergio. She needed to calm her mind to think and manage to keep her mouth shut regardless of what was coming.

She dove and dove into the depth of her mind locking away in imaginary boxes all the information she had about the heist. 

“I don’t know anything more than my limited role” she told herself over and over again. 

“The Professor doesn’t share his secrets” she insisted in an attempt to convince herself of those lies. 

A dripping sound in the background startled her. She tried to find from where it came from but counting the dimness of the room and the limited movements her handcuffs allowed she couldn’t get very far. 

The drops were falling in a uneven pattern, sometimes slow, sometimes faster. Then they’d stop for a while, then faster again. This was not only frustrating Raquel, but also making her want to go to the bathroom urgently.

The little red dot blinking near the ceiling confirmed her suspicions, that she was being watched. She had no idea how long she’d been here, no idea how long she’d stay. If the growing discomfort of her back and growling of her stomach were any indicators, she’d say at least five hours had passed.

Her need to go to the bathroom grew stronger and stronger. She knew calling for help would get her nowhere, and didn’t want to give the chance to Sierra to humiliate her further. But at the same time urinating herself would be far more humiliating.

A few hours or a few minutes later, Raquel didn’t really know, she started panicking. She had tried calling, but as expected no one had answered. Trying to keep as much dignity as she could she attempted to turn away from the camera and pull down her pants in a discreet manner.. Unfortunately the shackles that bound her arms far above her head and her legs tightly in a sitting position to the floor didn’t allow much movement. 

She could feel her heart speeding up along with her breath, and a few tear making their way to the corner of her eyes. Stabbing pain was ripping her bladder apart, she could not think of anything expect the desperate need to relieve herself. 

As Raquel felt the first few droplets escaping, then knew it was too late to do anything about it. She felt like a child, tears running down her face and sitting in her soaked pants. Her mind was already picturing the victorious grin that would be decorating Sierra’s face.

Of course, it was at that moment that the door slammed open. Raquel blinked at the blinding brightness to burning her eyes in an attempt to recognize the silhouette entering the cell.

“Can’t even leave you ten minutes alone before making a mess. You never learn do you?” breathed the person that was now closing the door behind them and turning the light inside the cell on. Raquel’s eyes widened in recognition.

The taunting face that still haunted her nightmares was now facing her, a wicked grin on its lips.

“Missed me that much?” Chuckled Alberto.

“Wha- what are you doing here?”

A laugh escaped the taller mans throat.

“Did you honestly believe that you’d get to kidnap my daughter and not face any consequences ?” He leaned his body towards Raquel’s. “Paula needs her father. And here you’ve decided you knew better, took her away from me and put her in terrible danger. How did that turn out?”

“What are you doing here?” insisted Raquel, hiding the trembling of her voice “You’re no Inspector. You shouldn’t be interrogating me”

“Oh dear you’ve become that stupid haven’t you? This is no interrogation love, this is you becoming our informer about the Professor’s plan. And given our... history together, the Inspectora believed I’d be much better placed to force some sense into you.” 

Raquel’s entire body shuddered. During that glorious year she was living with Sergio in the Philippines, she had managed to forget Alberto, or at least bury him in such depth in her mind that he wouldn’t bother her again. But now, seeing him standing in front of her once again, untended wounds fought their way back to the surface. All of a sudden, remembered why she used to need antidepressants and had at least an anxiety attack per day.

This bode nothing good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! This might actually be the first not one shot actual fanfiction I’ve ever started writing, so tell me what you think <3


	2. He doesn’t love you

Raquel could feel the drops of sweat trickling down her back. Alberto seems to reveal in her discomfort and kept moving closer and closer to her, and she was able to do nothing but watch him.

“Oh come on now don’t make a face, we used to get along so well when you listened to me” the sarcasm dripping from his voice made Raquel cringe. Fighting the flood of memories that was begging to invade her head, Raquel put on her best neutral faced mask and spit:

“Do you honestly fucking believe you just have to come down here and taunt me and suddenly I’m going to have plenty of things to say? As I’ve told your colleague, I don’t know anything about the Professors plan.” An all too familiar wolfish grin shaped her ex-husband’s mouth.

“I haven’t asked you anything about your boyfriend, don’t need to get all riled up. No, I just thought we should catch up and you should tell me where the fuck you’ve hidden my daughter” his voice growled. “Your idiotic ass has no right to drag her into this mess you’ve made of your life.”

“Yeah, as if I’m going to let any of you near her after that psychopathic inspector threatened to throw her in jail if I don’t rat myself out. Anyway, I don’t even know where is the safe house the Professor sent them to.”

“Now see, that’s when I don’t believe you. That you’d let anyone take Paula out of your care without knowing where she is. No, you’re too attached to my child to do anything like that. So that means you’re lying to me, aren’t you?”

Raquel shook her head, not at all reassured of where this might be going.

“You do remember what happens when you lie to me don’t you?”

Oh she remembered painfully well, but the days in which Alberto could control her every action were over. She wasn’t that person any more, she was stronger, she was independent.

“Paula is my daughter as well. I would never let anything bad happen to her even if that means not knowing exactly where she is and-“ Raquel heard the slap ricocheting on her skin before she could even start feeling the burning pain on her right cheek. Her eyes watered once again, and she shifted in her cold humid pants.

“Paula is not your daughter. She is mine. You...” he paused to grab her face where the pain of the slap was still hot “are an irresponsible stupid woman who deserves nothing. Do you hear me? Nothing. And in here, you’re gonna get just that”

Raquel tried to control the trembling of her lower lip and ended up biting it when she couldn’t get it to stop.

“I mean look at yourself. We left you no more than ten minutes in the dark and you’re already wetting yourself in fear. Even a child can behave longer than that.” 

The words echoed in Raquel’s head. Ten minutes? They left her only for ten minutes? That’s impossible, she had a very good internal clock thanks to the hours of meditation she’d done beforehand. Alberto was just messing with her mind again. She shook her head.

“You can question me as long as you want, but it won’t change the fact that I don’t know anything about -“

“Shut the fuck up!” He yelled, drops of saliva landing on Raquel’s face. “Did I tell you to speak? Tell me did I allow you to open your fucking mouth? No, I don’t think so. If you don’t have anything useful to say, spare me your miserable breathe. Now...” he inhaled and took a step back, raising his hand slightly in a menacing manner.

“...let’s get back to business shall we?” It took Raquel all of what’s left of her willpower not to allow herself to crawl back into her unhealthy coping mechanisms. She knew that was exactly what Alberto was aiming for. He wanted to get her back to being afraid of his mere presence, to break her confidence, to make her believe she’s unlovable.

And to be honest with herself, Raquel would say that he is pretty much succeeding. It was funny how difficult it was to get over the torturous years she spent with him but also how easy it was to disregard all the kind words Sergio had told her.

A flaming pain interrupted her thoughts.

“Where. Is. My. Daughter?” Alberto punctuated each word with a slap on the same cheek. The entire right side of her face was burning up, and she winced in pain when she tried to talk.

“I don’t know you idiot I don’t know!” she cried. She wouldn’t let him win. She couldn’t. Not when she had worked so hard to heal.

“Not only talking back but also lying to me? No no no, that is not how this is going to go. Listen to me very carefully. You might have forgotten how things roll around here, but I have all the time in the world to remind you. You have no right to keep my child away from me.” 

He paused, and looked her in the eye. 

“You know what, these chains are a tad inconvenient aren’t they? Let me take them off for you. We’ll have much more fun that way.”

Raquel didn’t react as he took out a key from his pocket and unlocked her from the wall and from the floor. She simply let down her sore arms and stared at him, wondering what would come next.

“Tell me, what did the Professor do to make you so afraid of betraying him? You were never that loyal to me. Did he beat you into submission so badly? Should I go get advice from him?” 

Anger rose in Raquel’s chest.

“You have no right to talk about him like that. He never raised a hand on me unlike you, you fucking piece of shit.”

Alberto chuckled.

“So aggressive!” He shook his head. “You definitely need to be put back into your place. Good thing I’m here for that. Now come on, get up.” 

Raquel brought her feet closer and using the wall as support started pulling herself upwards.

“I said, get up!” He violently tugged on the chain that still tied her hands together. Taken by surprise, Raquel found herself falling face down on the floor. Alberto laughed again and placed his muddy boot on her head.

“You like it like that, don’t you? On the floor, with my filthy shoe in your hair, you want that. Because that’s what you are, that’s your place. You’re worthless and good for nothing. You don’t deserve to live. You don’t.” 

Raquel struggled against the weight that was keeping her down. She tried to turn her head around to see what Alberto was doing but couldn’t. A knot was building up in her stomach, her hands were trembling, and she was breathing heavily. 

“Let go of me you piece of...” Shock invaded her body as she felt a hard object against her butt cheek, and before she could react she heard a zap and electricity flew through her body. Pain like she had never felt before burned in her and Raquel held back a scream of anguish.

“Still playing though? That’s cute.” Alberto presses once again on the controller and Raquel bit her lip wincing in pain. 

“You really wanna play that game uh? Alright then that’s fine with me.” Keeping her still under his foot Alberto pulled down her pants and underwear exposing her still wet behind to the air. 

As soon as she had felt the contact of his frigid hands against her pants Raquel had started kicking and punching to get away from him, but he kept her tightly locked under him.

Once he had entirely stripped her, Alberto leaned down, locked her hands under her body then sat down on the back of her shoulders, her naked ass exposed in front of him.

Raquel struggled and kicked, tried to roll over but Alberto’s metal grip kept her in place. He watched her struggle a while longer. Then, when saw her muscles relaxing a bit, he poked her naked skin near her ass hole with the prod augmenting the voltage.

This time, Raquel yelled in pain. Alberto poked her again without letting her recover, and she cried again. 

“Tell me, does that remind you anything? Do you remember where is my daughter? Do you have anything to tell me?”

“I swear- I swear I don’t know!” Raquel struggled to keep her voice steady, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

“Wrong answer.”

“No- Honestly I don’t kno-“ she didn’t have time to finish her words before Alberto plunged the prod inside her ass and shocked her. The excruciating pain made her cry out louder than she knew she could. 

Alberto watched her muscles clenching and unclenching, wondering what her face is looking like. Next time, he thought, he’d chose a position where he can see her better. 

He let her writhe on the floor a bit more, then applied three consecutive shocks on the same spot as the previous one. His ex-wife screamed in agony, her entire body shaking and her toenails curling and scraping the floor.

“You do realize Marquina doesn’t actually love you right? He’s manipulating you, using you. Is a man like that really worth it?” He poked at Raquel again, enjoying her cries, then poked again some more without giving her time to rest.

“Shut up... shut-shut up... What would you know about love?” breathed Raquel, her voice raw from all the screaming.

“You’re cute, believing he ever cared about you... you know no one would blame you if you just told us what you knew, you can still redeem yourself...”

Raquel didn’t answer.

“Or well, we can keep playing this little game until you break, it’s not like I have anything better to do since you’ve kidnapped my daughter.” 

Alberto placed the cattle prod deeper in her ass, augmented the voltage, then pressed the controller. Raquel resumed her screaming, but this time he didn’t stop immediately . Keeping his finger firmly on the “shock” button he began talking to her:

“You’re doing this for nothing, for no one.  
Marquina doesn’t know you’re alive, and if he did he wouldn’t care. We could keep you here forever no one would know. It would be so much easier if you talked. Just talk and it’s all over, you’ll never see me again. But you need to help me out here. Where’s Paula, Raquel?”

“Please... I don’t I’m begging you... I don’t know...” but the pain wasn’t stopping. Raquel howled in agony and felt bile rising up in her stomach. She twisted and kicked and cried but Alberto didn’t stop.

He was watching her attentively, wondering how much more she could take without getting seriously injured. Just as he was thinking that Raquel begin vomiting her bowels out. He turned off the prod and stood up, dragging her back in her initial sitting position.

“Anything you have to say?” 

Raquel tried to speak, but only managed to vomit again. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, her throat was sore and the stabbing pain in her ass was a constant torture.

“Calm down, it’s over for today I guess. Come on stop whimpering. You wouldn’t to disappoint me even more would you ? Cause then I might take my anger out on your sister when I go home” he said in a honeyed voice.

“I hate you.” She managed to spit.

“I’m sure you do love, I’m sure you do.” 

Alberto leaned in and placed his lips her on her reddening cheek. He sucked slightly making her moan in pain, then bit her. Surprised, she tried to back away, but he simply laughed and pulled her shackled hands back upwards and tying her to her post once again. 

Raquel was entirely immobilized, sitting against the wall and her legs tied to the floor. 

Exhausted, she let herself fall back on the wall and watched him turn the lights of as he exited the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! So this part turned out a bit more graphic/violent than intended but I will calm down on the angst in the next parts ( or not idk depends on my mood) anyway hope you hope you kinda enjoyed!


	3. Plan Casanova

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually a filler chapter, I kinda go over the plot of the heist and what happens to all the characters so then I can move on to the actual fun Marquillo part. Enjoy!

“This is war.” Sergio had said to the group. And he has meant it. No more holding back, no more playing around, he was going to fuck up the police in every way he could. First, they took his father from him. Then, they took his brother. And when he had finally settled down and started to heal, they forced him back in the game. They stole from him the one person he cared about the most. They took from him his moral compass, the only one that was keeping him sane. Fucking up her life was not enough, they also had to mercilessly execute her as she was unarmed and defenseless. 

Sergio has told himself he wasn’t going to let his grief distract him from what he needed to do. He had to get the rest of the group out of the bank safely, no matter what that would cost him. 

The plan wasn’t going at all as it should have, and Sergio regretted putting everyone in so much danger. He regretted getting Raquel involved. He should have fought harder to convince her to stay with her child and mother. What is he going to say to them now anyway? That their mother, their daughter had died because of him? Because selfish as he was he put her in harms way only to keep her near him?

“Tell me, what’s going on Palermo?” Sergio had climbed back on the top of a tree, watching the police pack up their stuff and leave the forest.

“They shot Nairobi, and we blew up one of their tanks.” 

“Explain.” interrupted Sergio. Palermo did.

“Everything’s going to shit in here” he concluded said. “You need to tell us what to do.”

“I’ll get you out of there don’t worry. We are moving to plan Casanova.” Sergio cut the communication. He needed to think.

First, he needs to ensure that the public opinion would stay by their side. Their aid is crucial for the final step of their plan, and Sergio knew exactly how to convince them.

“I need you to tell the hackers to hack all the publicity screens in Madrid.” He told Marseille.“I have an announcement to make.”

A few hours had passed, and to his knowledge, all the police officers had cleared the area. He supposed they had to retreat and deal with the cover up of the murder they’d committed. His stomach twisted at the thought of his beloved’s memory getting tarnished in the sort. He’ll deal with his need for revenge later. 

Sergio Marquina climbed down his tree and jogged towards the new safe house. It was located around twenty kilometers east from his position, and he guessed it would take him at least two hours to get there. They had been supposed to meet there, he bitterly thought, with Raquel. 

“Have you reached the safe house yet?” He heard Marseille ask in his earpiece an hour and a half later.

“No not yet.” He paused to catch his breath.

“All right, once you get there, use the camera we had placed for emergencies. They have connected it to all the screens and as soon as you turn it on it will start the live diffusion.”

“Thank you, Marseille. Over and out.” His legs were aching and cold air was scratching his throat. He knew he couldn’t stop, not when Nairobi’s life was on the line. He owes it to them to get her out on time, and he should stop complaining and start running. Sergio forced himself to start again, speeding up as he went. Adrenaline started pumping through his veins. Although he didn’t feel less tired, the anger boiling in his veins allowed him to disregard the pain. 

Around forty five minutes later, Sergio finally discerned the spot under which the safe house was located. Panting and exhausted, he barely managed to get in and close the trapdoor over him before collapsing on a chair. He thought of getting up, showering and putting on a bit more formal clothing, but then argued that with his current look people would be more prone to pity and believe him. 

Sergio put up the camera, cleaned his glasses, took a deep breath and started talking.

“Good evening. I am the Professor. I am very sorry to interrupt your day like this, but there is a few things I need to clear up with you. You might be wondering why we ordered the shot on the police earlier today, and you are perfectly right to do so. They were going to kill us. The police, they don’t want us captured, they want us dead. This morning, they shot Nairobi, manipulated the love she had for her son to lure her in a trap. Nairobi had never hurt anyone. And they still killed her. And then... the police shot.. executed one that used to be their partner. Their friend. They killed Raquel Murillo. She was on her knees, unarmed, and they shot her.”

A tear escapes his eye, and he did not try to stop it. 

“They did not hesitate to butcher she who used to be in their side. She who was... she who was the love of my life. So you understand” he inhaled, “that when we saw an armed tank rolling towards the bank, towards us, we had no other choice but to shoot first. How many hostages would have died if this attack had been perpetuated? How many innocent lives was the police ready to risk in order to kill us?” The Professor straightened his glasses and stared right in the middle of the lens.

“We tried to run away from that system, but it pulled us back into its claws. And now we are forced to fight it. They are stronger, better armed and they aim to kill. We did not want war, but they forced it upon us. And so we’re gonna fight back. And we need your help. We need to know you’re here with us. Join us tomorrow, wearing a Dali mask, at five in front of the National Bank, and show us your support as a united front.”

The Professor turned off the camera. Without giving himself a break, he wrote down a few words on a piece of paper and sent it to Marseille.

“Marseille?” He said, pressing in his earpiece.

“Professor?”

“I faxed you a letter, it explains how the previous leak of state secrets was a fake orchestrated by the police to make us lose our assets. Sent it to all the journals we know, and leak all the pictures we have from the content of the red boxes. Over and out.”

The explosion of the tank, the announcements, and the leak should keep the police busy for a while.

He connected his walkie-talkie to the channel of the bank.

“Palermo?”

“Professor?”

“What’s the situation?”

“Nairobi is out, we gave her morphine, she’s weak but alive. Helsinki is taking care of her, but she needs a hospital. Badly.” There was a short pause. “We have not finished melting all the gold, but we have more than enough to put plan Casanova in action.”

“Right. Prepare the hostages, I’ll have an ambulance waiting for Nairobi. Each one of you will go to the car in assigned to you before the heist. Get one of the fake hostages to go with Nairobi till the ambulance then leave her and disappear in the chaos.”

“Will do. Over and out.” 

They’d let all the hostages out at once. At five thirty, once the people would have hopefully gathered around the bank. They’d first throw a few golden pebbles, and once the police, intrigued, would start to pick them up they’d let go of all the hostages. 

They’d have told them to run out panicking, and they’d have shot a few bullets in the walls to make them run faster. And then, in midst of the chaos that would have started forming, they would run out along with the hostages, all dressed the same, all with Dali masks. And they’d throw on the floor, on the policemen, on the people every single pebble of gold in their possession. 

They’d have given gold to the hostages too,of course, and they could chose to either throw it or keep it, as long as they followed the plan. 

A helicopter would then land on the roof of the bank, and six hostages picked for their loyalty and admiration of the band, and generously paid would get on it. One of them would be laying down on a stretcher as if injured. This helicopter would pretend to head straight to the airport, then do a few rounds over Madrid, then go the port then finally land on the roof of a hospital.

As soon as all the members of the band were in their respective rescue car, Palermo would give a signal and twenty other cars parked near the Bank would leave. Those cars, some of which police cars, with paid actors in them would stroll around town for a while to confuse the police.

As for the band, they’d wait in their parked spots for a while. Then each car would head to a separate apartment near the bank that the Professor had rented. They were to wait there at least two days, get a makeover, then leave Spain and Europe for good in different boats.

The realization of this plan would leave Spain neck deep in problems. Additionally the forces of the police would be scattered and their focus broken. Hopefully that god awful Inspectora would also give birth at the same time to add a bit of pressure in the chaos. 

And all while his plan should be unfolding, the Professor could do nothing but sit back and bite his nails, powerlessly following the news and thinking about every single thing that could go absolutely wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> by the way I have no idea how hacking works so for plot purposes they can do what they want, also I sincerely don’t think a plan like that would be very practical but for plot purposes, again, it’s a great plan


	4. I have a plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the new chapter! It’s the last relatively calm one -shit’s gonna go down in the next one. Enjoy!

Sergio was sprawled out on the couch, watching the news as if his life depended on it. It did, in some way. He had his phone at hands reach and his walkie-talkie open on Marseille’s channel. He had promised himself not to leave his hiding place till after everyone had checked in their final destination. Already, Nairobi had confirmed that she had reached her paradise refuge. The doctors assured her she was out of danger.

Denver Stockholm and the other too were back home. The Professor was only awaiting Rio and Helsinki’s confirmations.

This time, they had agreed to stay inside the country or place they had chosen to go to for at least one and a half years in order for the police to have lessened their searches. After that they had the right to wherever they wanted, excepted course Europe. And hopefully they had all learned their lesson not to use any satellite mobiles or disobey the safety measures set by the Professor.

Marseille’s voice sounded from the walkie-talkie:

“Everyone has reached their safe houses.”

Sergio sighted in relief.

“Thank you, Marseille. It has been an honor and a pleasure working with you.”

“The pleasure‘s all mine.”

“Take care.” Sergio turned cut off the communication, and threw the gadget along with his phone into the microwave. He then activated it at full speed, barely flinching when it exploded.

He sat back down in the couch. It was done. His plan was once again successful. He didn’t feel anything. All his team was out there, rebuilding their lives, but he had lost the one person that gave meaning to his. He had decided upon not telling Paula and Marivi anything until his return. He has asked the band to check up on them now and then, without telling them anything about Raquel’s death. For all they knew she was enjoying her holidays with Sergio.

Sitting in this basement all alone, Sergio decided it was now time to stare planning his revenge.

He wanted it to be explosive, cruel, memorable, but he knew he owed it to Raquel to get out alive. So that he could go back, and take care of her daughter and mother.

A painful knot formed in his stomach. He wanted to have married her. They would’ve gone on a beautiful road trip, they would’ve explored the world. It wasn’t fair.

He felt so guilty. The feelings that he had been repressing the previous days to plan the bands safe escape had started creeping in through cracks in his mental balance.

“... and when the day comes, you can’t feel guilty of something that you couldn’t control.” Had said Berlin, but Sergio couldn’t care less. He felt guilty, he blamed himself, and he wanted to die.

He is going to personally target Sierra, he thought, who had ordered the execution. And also Angel, who had sat down and allowed it and of course that damned cop Suarez who had killed his own friend while she was unarmed and on her knees. He’ll add Raquel’s ex-husband on the hit-list, because god knows he deserved it.

The next few days were spent transforming his physical appearance so that he could get out in public. He had hacked into security cameras, cellphones, and had started pulling up information that would help him hit his victims where it hurt the most. He wasn’t in a rush, because as the French said, _la revanche est un plat qui se mange froid._ And Sergio was a patient, patient man.

It was a couple of weeks later, and Sergio was going through the GPS data of Raquel’s ex-husband’s phone. He noticed frequent visits to the a prison in Madrid. That spiked his interest, and he decided to look into it hoping to find something to use against the man. Sergio thought of going to visit the prison himself, but then decided against it as he would be walking right into the lion’s den.

He made a few phone calls on an old-fashioned burner phone, and less than a day later he had the images of the security cameras inside the prison for the last three months.

Sitting back and plunging his fork in a bowl of cold pasta, Sergio began going through the footage.

He noticed that the visits had started very recently, right before the last day of the heist to be precise.

But what was even more bizarre was that the footage of whoever Alberto was visiting was nowhere to be found. Sergio has looked through every single hour of visitation, and he found nothing. He had then looked through the individual cells, thinking that with his status of officer he could visit someone directly in their cell. But again, nothing.

It was as if he went to the prison, disappeared for about some time, then reappeared again. The shortest visit was of one hour and the longest ten.

Actually, right before Alberto, he had seen Sierra coming out of the prison, along with Suarez, but he couldn’t find any footage of them going in.

Sergio was a smart man. He knew what, or rather who linked all those people, especially given the circumstances. But he didn’t dare give in to hope.

One of his monitors beeped, indicating that two of the phones he was tracking were in the same room. Sergio paused the screen on which the footage was rolling, and augmented the volume of Suarez and Angel’s phone recordings.

“... didn’t see her in there, what’s going on isn’t right.”

“Raquel’s a criminal Angel, she’s what she deserves. Besides, it’s not like we aren’t offering her an amazing deal if she just gives us some information about her boyfriend.”

Sergio’s heart skipped a few beats. He felt the room moving around him, his eyes widening in realization. It couldn’t be, he thought, he had heard her shot for crying out loud! He had seen the death certificate in the police database! But then again, that didn’t prove anything. They could’ve faked her death as easily as his band faked an escape. Using the microphones on Raquel against him. His mind was racing with delirious thoughts until Angel’s angry voice pulled him back to reality.

“Suarez they’re torturing her for fuck’s sake! She was your friend, and I know you’re angry at how they humiliated you but fuck she doesn’t deserve that! No one does!”

“How are you so sure about that?”

“I saw her you idiot! I was going to talk to Inspectora Sierra and ask her if I could visit Raquel, and when she saw me she immediately closed the computer she was looking at. But I had seen what was on it Suarez! Raquel was bleeding and bruised all over! Plus, Sierra didn’t allow me to visit her, lied to me that she was in solitary or something till she agreed to cooperate. That’s not okay and you know it!”

“Okay even if what you’re saying is true, it’s not like we can do anything about it!”

There was a long pause. Sergio’s mind was numb. Raquel was alive. Raquel was alive. She wasn’t dead. She was alive. With trembling hands, he called some of his connections that knew more than him about hacking.

“I need all the footage that has been going in and out of the prison for the last twenty days. Every second of it, and not the one from the legal police cameras. Search for none registered cells, solitary confinement anything you can find on the phones of people that have visited the prison these weeks. Look through all of it. Contact me immediately if any of you sees Lisboa in any video. And do it fast, I want answers today!”

His breath shaking, Sergio focused again on the conversation those two idiots were having.

“... I’ll see what I can do. Angel, you know, I used to admire and respect Raquel a lot. She of all people doesn’t deserve torture, so if I find out that she’s being mistreated, I will help you get her out of there.”

Sergio lowered the volume again, Angel’s answer fading in the background.

A deafening silence overcame the room. For the last three weeks, Sergio has been so overwhelmed with grief and obsessed with avenging Raquel that he did not even stop to consider that she might be alive.

Now that he looks back, it makes much more sense for the police to have arrested her, not killed her. They faked her death, knowing that he’ll be listening to make him do something stupid. And like the worst of the beginners, Sergio had walked right through their trap.

And now, Raquel was getting hurt because of him. She has been getting hurt for almost three weeks now and his selfish self, too occupied to fulfill his own desire for revenge, had done nothing about it.

His wallowing in self loathing was interrupted a couple of hours later n by a monitor chiming. A new folder had appeared one of his screens titled “Lisboa”. Afraid of what he was going to see, the Professor slid the mouse over the blue box and double clicked. An entire list of files appeared in front of him. Apprehensively, he opened the first one.

And suddenly, right there in front of him was Raquel. She was shackled to a wall in what seemed like a terribly uncomfortable position, and was siting alone in her cell. The video was taken by an infrared camera so Sergio assumed the cell was plunged it utter darkness. He accelerated the video, and saw what seemed to be her ex-husband entering the cell and turning on the lights. His face wasn’t in full view of the camera so Sergio couldn’t be sure. The video ended there. Feverishly, Sergio clicked on the next one. The cell was dark again. Raquel was hanging her head in exhaustion, and the floor of the cell was covered with what looked like vomit. Sergio paused and zoomed on a small metallic object that wasn’t there before. His stomach churned. A cattle prod. He went on to the next video, then the next one, then the next one. Every time Raquel would be left alone for some time, an hour, a day, five days, then the man would go in, the video would cut and start again after he’d left. Sergio couldn’t help but notice that she was always naked.

Every few days a new object was added in the corner of the room. A bucket, a rope, a whip, a wet towel. And every in video Raquel would look much worse than in the previous one.

Sergio felt bile rising in his throat, and he rushed to the bathroom. Tears in his eyes, he when back to his pseudo-living room.

Change of plans. Screw revenge he was going on a fucking rescue mission right now. He had lost enough time, and he knew exactly what to do.

Putting on a fake wig and taking off his glasses, Sergio threw in a suitcase his computers, cables, papers... He hastily erased all traces of his presence and walked out of the trapdoor of the bunker. Pulling behind him his heavy bag, he headed towards his garage. With his beard and mustache that he had let grow and a few touches of expert makeup he was unrecognizable.

Twenty minutes later, he had reached an old barn, and he unlocked its creaking doors. An old unregistered car he had bought came to the light. Panting, he carried his heavy bag and managed to tip it on the edge of the car and make it fall in the trunk.

He sat down in the drivers seat, put on his contact lenses and drove north towards Madrid.

The car ride was long and dreadful. The Professor spent the entire time perfecting the plan he had imagined. It was still flawed when, maybe seven hours later he had reached the capital. The sun had only started rising, but he didn’t care. He headed straight to Angel’s apartment and buzzed the intercom.

“Who is it?” Answered after a while Angel’s a sleepy voice.

“I have information about Raquel Murillo.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I have information about Raquel Murillo. You want to see this.” Repeated the Professor.

“Please wait right there I’m coming down.” Angel wasn’t very well awake and despite being curious as to what the man was talking about, he wasn’t careless enough to let a stranger in.

The front door opened and Angel’s chubby figure appeared.

“What do you want?”

Sergio whipped out his iPad and showed Angel a few parts of the footage he had acquired.

“Where did you get these? And who the hell are you?” A hesitation in his words made him sound a bit scared.

“I think you know very well who I am.” Sergio mouth twisted in a sarcastic grin as he saw the look of understanding dawning on Angel’s face.

“What makes you think I’m not gonna arrest you right now?”

”I don’t see how you could. You have no gun, no manacles and I’m easily stronger than you. But more importantly, if you do arrest me Raquel would have suffered all that for nothing. And no one is going to save her, I bet the police is gonna keep both of us there till we spill everything we know about the whereabouts of the band. They might torture her some more even threaten to kill her in front of me, so I’ll have to start talking. Do you really want to have that on your conscience?”

“Okay okay I get your point.” Interrupted Angel. “So, why are you showing me this, what the hell are we supposed to do?”

A faint smile appeared on Sergio’s lips.

“I have a plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it don’t forget to comment what you thought or just leave kudos whatever 😂❤️


	5. It’s over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! This is the longest chapter I’ve ever written! Enjoy!

Raquel heard the door creak open. She flinched and curled her hands around her knees as much as the shackles allowed, trembling with cold and fear.

She didn't even bother to look up, knowing what was coming. Inhaling deeply, she tried to gain control over her body and enjoy the last seconds of calm before the storm.

Angel entered the room, followed by Sierraand closed the door behind them. The Inspectora was pulling behind her a sort of power washer. Angel didn’t ask. He turned on the light, and a nightmarish scene appeared before his eyes. To say the room was filthy was an understatement. There was blood, excrements and other substances he wasn’t sure he wanted to analyze covered the floor. The smell was horrendous.

“You’ve made quite the mess!” Said the Inspectora. “Fortunately, Angel here has volunteered to give you a wash. Don’t worry I won’t stay here long. This smell can’t be good for the baby.”

Upon hearing her old friends name, Raquel’s head rose as she looked up.

“Angel...” she murmured.

“Ah ah ah! What have we said about talking when you have nothing interesting to say?” Interrupted Sierra. Raquel’s body froze, but she didn’t answer.

“Good. Now back to what I was saying. Angel here’s your chance to prove yourself.” She connected the powerwasher to the electric outlet and gave it to him.

“Go on.” She encouraged.

Angel tried to hide the disgust on his face as he pointed it towards Raquel.

“No, no Angel please. Angel please, not you too... no!”

Her pleading turned into screaming when the high pressure water hit her body. She curled around herself, trying to catch her breath. The pain wasn’t as burning as she expected. The water was almost refreshing. Her skin hadn’t broken, and she wasn’t bleeding. She could go through this. She didn’t have a choice but to. 

Angel repeated the process for around ten minutes, with regular intervals. Each time, Raquel either screamed or whimpered, but she didn’t move or try and avoid the shots. He tried not to hurt her too much, aiming more at the wall than at her body, and keeping the pressure minimal. But at the same time, under Sierra’s watch, he couldn’t do much. 

“All right I think I’ve seen enough.” Said the Inspectora. “Have fun you two!” She got up and left the room, her huge belly bumping the door on the way out. 

As soon as she left, Angel threw the powerwasher on the floor and rushed towards his friend.

“I’m so sorry Raquel, I’m so sorry!” 

“Don’t touch me!” She cried. 

He flinched and took his hand away. 

_**A few hours earlier** _

“There is no way I’m going to do that.”

Stated Angel, looking Sergio in the eye. 

“You know that she’ll make me hurt her to prove it.”

“That’s a risk we’re going to have to take.”  Answered Sergio.

He was sitting on one of Angel’s couches in his little apartment, his hands fidgeting with a pillow. 

“A risk we’re gonna have to... Can you hear yourself? We’re not talking about a heist here, we’re talking about a person! My friend! We’re talking about torture, are you completely deranged? Do you not care about her at all?”

Sergio watched him have his little outburst unimpressed. When Angel stopped, Sergio stared at him and said:

“If you have a better idea, do share it with me.” 

Angel didn’t answer.

“Good. Now go get ready to convince that pregnant bitch that you don’t give a shit about Raquel but that you’re the only one who can get her to talk. Tell Sierra you’re gonna do anything she asks you to, and then play doctor to get Raquel to talk with the good cop bad cop thing. Do whatever want you I don’t care but make it convincing.”

Angel looked at the other man with only hate in his eyes. Nonetheless, he let out a resigned sight and went to get ready.

**_Present_ **

“Raquel. Raquel, please listen to me. Sergio has a plan.”

They had checked and the cameras didn’t record any sound. They could talk more or less freely. 

At the mention of her lover’s name, Raquel tensed.

“Sergio? Why would I believe you? Sergio thinks I’m dead. The whole world does.”

“No please listen to me. He knows you’re alive. He knows, and he’s going to get you out of here. I’m helping him.”

She let out a feeble but sarcastic laugh.

“You’re helping him. You. You, who hates him. You who just tortured me without a single emotion on your face. Let me laugh.” Angel didn’t expect her to react like this. Actually he didn’t know what he had expected. 

“Listen. I am so sorry but this was the only way they’d let you see me. I will make it up to you, as soon as we get you out of here. I’m gonna do anything you ask but you need to trust me.” 

Raquel didn’t react. Angel continued. 

“He told me he doesn’t blame you if talked or want to talk. He actually told me to encourage you to give information.”

“Now see, that’s where I don’t believe your fucking ass.” She interrupted. 

A look of fear flew over her face when she realized that she had cursed. Instinctively, she lowered her head as if expecting a blow.

“I don’t mean like that. He told me the location of one of your refuges in Thailand. Gave me the address. Told me he’s going to set a trap for the police there. And I need to go back to Sierra and tell her that you gave me this information.

Then she’s gonna let me come back. Pretend to get information from you, but I’ll actually be giving you information about Sergio’s plan. We’re getting you out, Raquel. You just need to trust me.” 

Raquel hung her head down in exhaustion.

“Tell me the address he gave you.” She muttered.

Angel did. Raquel’s eyes rose to meet his, hope almost shining in them.

“He also told me to tell you that chicken bring good luck.” She held back a sob. 

Sergio. Sergio. He knew she was alive. That was all that mattered. Sergio knee she was alive. 

“Are you okay?”

“Look at me for fuck’s sake do I look okay?” She sighted. “I’m so fucking tired Angel, so, so tired.” Her body shook with uncontrollable sobs. 

The exhaustion and pain she’d been repressing since Angel came in, to keep a straight face, came crashing in.

“Shh I know, I know, don’t worry. We’re going to get you out. Shh don’t cry...” he hugged her, which wasn’t easy taking into consideration how she was tied up.

She did resist and let her head rest on his chest. He felt like he was invading her privacy, as her naked body curled closer towards him. He patted her head awkwardly.

“I’m sorry, I have to leave now.” He said a few minutes later. “I’ll come back for you. We are going to get you out.” She looked at him.

“Can you leave the lights on?”

“I’m sorry Sierra insisted I turned them off as I leave.”

“Okay, alright... Angel?”

“Hm?”

“Tell him I’m in love with him too.”

“You’ll get to tell him yourself.” 

She nodded then let her head hang again. Ignoring the knot in his stomach, he closed the lights and left the room. 

“She gave me the address of a safe house in Thailand.” He was now in Sierra’s office, facing her across her wooden desk.

“How did you get her to talk?”

“I convinced her that we had a lead on Sergio, and that last time we saw him he was being intimate with another woman. She didn’t believe me at first but photoshop does wonders.” He showed her a edited picture with Sergio and a gorgeous blond girl.

“And she believed you?”

“Well in that state she’s very gullible to say the least.” Sierra laughed. “Anyway, she still has her doubts, but she’s exhausted. She just needs a little push. I think I can get a lot more out of her.” 

“I’m sure you can. Alright I’ll have Alberto lessen his visits, we need her to feel rewarded each time she talks.”

“But she’s talking now, do we still have to torture her? That’s not very legal.” Sierra laughed again.

“I don’t know if you’re that naive or just making fun of me. We need to keep Raquel in her fearful, suggestive state. If we stop hurting her, she’s going to start thinking again. And we don’t want that,because despite what a treacherous idiot she is, Raquel isn’t stupid. She’ll see through our game in less than a day.”

“Fine. When am I to visit her again?” 

“Let’s say next week. We need to check that address she gave you first.”

“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow at the station.” He said, then walked out the door.

Angel left the office in a rush and headed back home. 

As soon as he unlocked his door he rushed towards the bathroom and threw some cold water on his face.

He tried to even his breaths and stop the trembling of his body. He hated himself. Hated himself for what the did to Raquel. Hated that he couldn’t do anything about it. 

Hated that for almost a month his friend had been going through hell, and he hadn’t done anything. He inhaled deeply. 

Catching the towel that was hanging, he dried his face and walked out to the living room.

“How is she?” Asked Sergio, looking up from the paper he was examining.

“How the fuck do you think she is?”

Sergio didn’t answer.

“Sierra bought it.”  Continued Angel.

“I’m going to visit her next week again.”

“Alright, that’s good. You need to contact Suarez and get him to help us. Tell him what you saw, tell him I contacted you but don’t tell him I’m here.”

“Why Suarez?”

“I heard you two talking, he seems to have moral values and is probably one of the only other police men that know Raquel’s alive.”

“What do you mean you heard us talking?” Interrupted Angel.

“I think we have more pressing matters on hand right now.”

“A few seconds won’t change anything. Tell me the truth if you want me to trust you. Why were you spying on us?”

“Fine. What do I care. I was planning to avenge Raquel.”

“You were... what?”

“I thought he had killed her, and was going to make him pay. Is that enough for you, can you do what I asked you?”

“And how do I know you’re not going to hurt him now?” Insisted Angel.

“Well you were on my hit list, and I haven’t hurt you yet have I?”

Angel simply shrugged and went to call his friend. 

Sergio sat back. His plan needed at least two weeks to work. That would mean Raquel will have stayed in that hellhole one and a half month. He sighted and held his face in his hands.

He needed to start going out to contact the diverse actors of his plan. He couldn’t stop thinking about Raquel. The look of hope on her face when she saw Angel in that video. 

The look of fear when Sierra told her to shut up. The look of utter despair when she started begging Angel before the video cut. 

He had caused that. He had caused those looks and he hated it. He had forced her to be hurt by the hand of a friend. He turned on the screen of one of his computers watched Raquel. She was holding herself, still wet and shivering. 

A tear rolled on Sergio’s cheek. He couldn’t leave her there two more weeks. He couldn’t. He had to do something faster. There had to be a way. But it was impossible.

She must have thought of something, because a small smile formed on her face. It lasted less than a second, and then tears started streaming down her face. Sergio looked at her, then started crying himself. Looking at her sob like that, he fell on his knees, caressing her face on the screen. 

“I’ll get you out. I’ll get you out of there.” He mumbled to himself more than anything. 

From the next room, a phone in his hands, Angel watched the man fall on his knees, crying. Despite his distrust and almost hatred of him, it was difficult not to feel some sympathy. 

Angel finished his call and walked towards him.

“Sergio.” The Professor flinched in surprise. He hadn’t heard Angel coming. He quickly got up and closed the screen.

“We’re going to save her. It’s going to be okay.”

“I know that. But it’s not gonna take too long. The dose needs to be at least once beforehand. And they’re only letting you visit once a week.” 

Sergio nervously touched his nose as if to put his glasses back in place. He had forgotten he was now wearing lenses.

“She’ll get through this. She’s the strongest person I know.”

Sergio nodded.

“What did Suarez say?” He asked.

“He agreed to meet. He’s coming over around eight.”

“Alright, I’m going out, I have a few things to put in place. Convince him.”

“I will.”

**_Two weeks later_ **

Angel walked into Raquel’s cell for the third time. Sierra’s water had broken and she was currently at the hospital, which was a surprisingly joyful turn of events. Tightly in his hand, he was holding a tiny white pill.

To his surprise, a male voice resonated from the cell.

“What are you doing here?” Said Alberto, pushing Raquel back towards the wall.

“You’re supposed to have left an hour ago. It’s my turn now.”

The man chuckled.

“Ah, then I must have let myself loose track of time. Anyway there you go, tie her back up before you leave.”

“Will do.” Angel waited till the man had closed the door behind him to rush towards Raquel. 

“There there, it’s over. You’re getting out today.”

She looked at him blankly. 

He knew that the cameras only worked when Raquel was alone, in order not to film any compromising footage for the police. Therefore he gave her the pill without fear.

She swallowed it and looked at him. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then suddenly she fell on the floor, muscles convulsing. She cried out. Angel, panicking, open the door of the cell and yelled:

“Help! Somebody help! She’s having a heart attack or something!” Alberto, who hadn’t yet left the corridor, rushed back.

“What happened?!” 

“I don’t know, you must have gone too hard on her! She’s barely breathing, help!” Yelled Angel in his walkie-talkie.

The two men stepped back as a couple of guards rushed over with a stretcher. They carried her up and ran towards the prison’s hospital.

“Don’t you dare let her die, we still need her!” Screamed Angel as he followed them closely. A bit lost, Alberto followed him too.

“I think you’ve done enough you idiot. You don’t know your limits and now look what happened. We’re gonna lose our most valuable informant! We almost had them god dammit! With what she was going to tell me today we could’ve arrested the whole band!” 

It was surprisingly easy for Angel to fake fury against the man. Alberto, not really sure if he should care, stopped running and let them leave.

Less than two minutes later Raquel was laying down on a hospital bed, monitors attached to her body and a doctor over her head.

“Get out the whole lot of you! I need calm if you want me to stabilize her!” The guards left the room, but Angel stayed.

“We have precise orders never to let her out of sight.”

“Whatever just stay in a corner and don’t make any noise.”

Those last two weeks were utter torture to Sergio. 

Everyday, he woke up and looked a Raquel, getting angrier and angrier every time the video cut. 

Fortunately, these weeks she received only three visits not counting Angel’s, but she didn’t look any better. 

When he wasn’t worrying about Raquel he was either running around and perfecting the plan, or getting Angel to understand that he doesn't need to  know every step of said plan for it to work.

Especially the last day, Sergio was terribly anxious. He couldn’t believe he was actually going to see her again. 

Therefore, it felt like a dream when he saw her getting rushed in the hospital room where he was waiting for her. 

“Raquel...” He had made sure the cameras were working on a loop and not actually filming anything. Raquel had calmed down, the effects of the pill already wearing off. 

“Sergio?” She said weakly. She recognized his voice, but her foggy mind couldn’t make out the face. 

“It’s me my love. It’s me.” He smiles faintly. She elevated her arm to touch his face, and he leaned over to make it easier for her. 

“Thank you.” He smiled again. With a hesitant hand he went to caress her hair. She moved in the touch, peace decorating her delicate features.

“It’s not just me you have to thank.” He nudged towards Angel, still sitting in a corner of the room. She smiled at him.

“Thanks..” she breathed.

“I hope you’ll forgive me Raquel, for what I did to you. Hurting you.”

“It’s alright, Angel. You didn’t do any more damage, anyway, than what was already done.”

She turned back to Sergio.

“We have one more little adventure to go through in order to get out of here, and then I swear to you we’re never coming near this god damned country again.”

Raquel chuckled, and looked at Sergio expectantly. He toyed with his glasses and asked:

“How good of an actor are you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was it! The last very angsty chapter. Now it’s we’re moving into fluff mode (well not entirely yet but you’ll see).  
> Don’t forget to tell me what you thought in the comments!


	6. I love you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So I know this chapter is like super late and I don’t really know how it turned out I’m not really satisfied with it idk but anyway there it is I hope you enjoy!

Angel was sprawled on the chair, completely immobile save for his chest rising and falling in a stable rhythm. Sergio shook the bottle of sleeping gas and turned to Raquel, who was now wearing a blue hospital gown. He had knocked her out with a powerful anesthetic to allow her some dreamless rest for the few hours they had. She was only now opening her eyes. 

“We need to go now. Do you think you can walk?” Her eyes darted toward his.

“Of course I can walk.” 

“Alright then, follow me. You need to act as if you were too exhausted to even hold on your feet.” He opened the hospital room door. Suarez was waiting for them from the other side. 

“I was told to transport her to the station as soon as she’s able to walk.” Said Sergio in an official tone. “Help me get her to the ambulance.” 

Suarez faked disbelief.

“Who told you that? We were strictly ordered not to let her out of this room under any pretext.”

“A certain Alberto Vicuña. He told me he’s in charge or the interrogation or something.” Suarez didn’t budge. “Listen, I don’t care about your internal police problems. All I know is that she need to either be taken to an ambulance or back into the emergency room. If she stays up like this she might have a relapse.”

“Fine.” Groaned Suarez. “I’ll help you get her to the ambulance, but you won’t be allowed to leave the premises till we get the order verified.” 

“No problem.” 

Sergio, supporting almost all Raquel’s weight, followed Suarez to the ambulance. The later was leading the way, often turning back to check if they were still behind him.

They knew he had to go to a precise ambulance in which a paid driver was waiting for them, so they were scouring the immatriculations of the cars till they find theirs. 

When they got there, Sergio helped Raquel lay down on the hospital bed. Suarez then stepped down, not before muttering an “I’m so sorry” to the woman. 

Then, he turned back to Sergio who nodded and sprayed him with the sleeping gas. He unceremoniously fell back. Sergio leaned down, picked up his radio and pushed his limp body behind another car.

He got back in the ambulance and shut the doors. Then, hitting the glass separating them from the driver, he told him to immediately started the engine. 

Cars were getting out of the way as the ambulance rushed through the streets of Madrid. Sergio held tightly Raquel’s hand, who was looking at him with wide eyes. He could feel her frightened gaze on him, and wanted nothing more than to give her a bone crushing hug right there and now. 

“Suarez? Suarez do you copy? Where is Raquel Murillo, who let her out of the room?” A male voice sounded from the radio around ten minutes later. 

“I copy, the doctor said she had to be moved urgently to a hospital. I’m with them in the ambulance.” Sergio was speaking in a low voice, the alarm blaring and the noise of the street drowning it down. 

“I had strictly said not to move her!“

“I got this covered.”

“I can’t hear you speak up! What the hell is this noise?”

“It’s the ambulance. I got this covered, nothing is going to happen.” 

Sergio kept stalling a bit longer before cutting the communication. 

He knew the Inspector wasn’t convinced, but the didn’t matter now. They had reached their destination. Hopping down from the ambulance that barely slowed down, they stumbled towards a tall apartment building. The ambulance continued its way towards the hospital. The police would have quite the field day tracking it down.

Sergio led Raquel inside the building and then down in the garage. Taking out a key chain from his back pocket, he pressed on a button and the lights of a luxurious Jaguar turned on.

“Expensive taste you have here darling.” Teased Raquel. Sergio smiled, glad to hear she’s feeling well enough to mock him.

“Just wait and see where we’re going.” He opened the trunk of the car and took out a suitcase. Then he opened the passenger’s seat door and waited till Raquel sat down.

“What a gentleman.” She chuckled.

“Only for you. I’ve got you some clothes in there. We better change now, we don’t want to risk being recognized.”

Sergio got rid of his doctor outfit and switched it with a suit. Then, he helped Raquel into a comfortable pair of pants and a warm white shirt. 

“Alright, we are ready to go.”

“Are you going to tell me where are we going?”

“I thought you liked surprises?”

“Fine.” She pouted. He smiled again. It was so good to have her back. A warm feeling spread through his chest as he watched her looking out of the dark tinted glass. There is nothing -nothing- he wouldn’t do for that woman. He was ready to give his life for hers, his sanity, his mind, his money, his heart. 

A small part of his brain still couldn’t comprehend, hadn’t processed that she was here. She was alive, next to him, and he was going to take care of her. Nothing, nobody is going to hurt her again.

Her caramel gold hair was absolutely filthy, her face smeared with cuts and bruises, she smelled terrible, but Sergio couldn’t care less. One of his hands creeped toward her and hovered near it. She outstretched her fingers and tangled them into his. He squeezed his hand into hers and she squeezed back.

He was so in love with her.

Not too long after, they arrived in front of a majestic building and Sergio stopped the car. A parking valet rushed to park it. Sergio got down, picked up Raquel bridal style and walked into the lobby, followed by another valet carrying their suitcases.

“Wha.. What are you doing?” Laughed Raquel, playfully trying to get down. Sergio lowered his head to kiss her forehead.

“You my darling, are going to be treated like a princess from now on. And I wouldn’t want my princess to exert now would I?” Raquel rolled her eyes and giggled as they arrived in front of the reception.

“Good evening, we have a reservation under the name Serquel?” The receptionist hit a few letters on his keyboard, checked the passports Sergio had put on the tableand smiled.

“Yes of course, here are your cards M. Serquel, Juan here will lead you to your room.” Raquel took the cards from the table as Sergio‘s hands were busy, and followed the valet to the room in the labyrinthine corridors of the Grand Hotel.

“You can leave our bags here, right next to the door. Thank you very much.” Sergio tipped generously Juan before dismissing him from the room. The valent thanked him profusely and left.

With tremendous delicatesse, he deposed Raquel on the fluffy double bed. 

“This room is huge.” She said.

“Their most expensive suite I hear.” Her lips shaped in a timid smile. Sergio smiled back tentatively approached his face to hers. She gave him a mocking look before giving him an peck on the lips. Hestared in her eyes before crashing his lips on hers and giving her a deep, loving kiss. She tied her hands behind his back and pulled him on the bed next to her. Sergio passed his hands behind Raquel’s shoulders and rubbed her hair till she broke the kiss and cuddled his chest. She enjoyed the warmth of his body against his and pressed herself a bit more against him.

“So, what do you want to do first?“ he asked after a few minutes of simply holding her. “Shower, eat, sleep? Staying like this?” She bit her lip, considering the options that were offered to her. It has been a while, she thought, since she had been offered a choice.

“I would love to stay like this forever but... I think I need a shower first.” 

“Mind if I help?”

“Not at all.” A goofy grin splattered on his face he went to the bathrooms and made the warm water run in the bathtub.

Raquel sat back on the silky pillows. She enjoyed the feeling of warmth around her, the softness of the pillows, the safety. She stared at Sergio who was now trying to choose between the bath salts that given by the hotel.

“Just use the green one!” She suggested. He awkwardly fixed his glasses on his nose and nodded. He seemed to be taking the whole preparation very seriously, she thought, as he was constantly checking the water temperature and pouring soap and salt with scientific precision. She looked out of the large glass panned on the wall of the room. The sky looked beautiful today, with only a few clouds decorating the bright rays of sunshine. 

She hadn’t noticed till now, but she had missed looking up to the sky. A shiver ran through her spine as a cloud passed over the sun and the room darkened a bit. She shook her head and leaned back on the bed frame.

Nonchalantly, she kicked off her shoes, enjoying the liberty of movement. She could move her feet, move her hands and nothing was restraining her. Nothing would ever restrain her again. 

She was going home. 

Sergio walked back towards her, more or less satisfied with how the bath turned out. He saw her looking out the window, a dreamy smile on her face and felt his heart miss a beat. 

“The bath is ready.” He blurted out. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her, afraid that she was going to dissolve if he looked away.

He got closer to her and helped her up.

“You know I can do that by myself right?” 

“You don’t have to. But” his face twisted as if a sudden thought had crossed his head. “if you want I can stop, give you space I..” he stammered. Was he doing too much? Was he making things worse? 

“Nonono don’t worry. I like it when you take care of me. I just... don’t want you to feel obligated to help me because you pity me or feel like any of this was your fault or...”

“Raquel.” He interrupted. “I want to help you. I want to take care of you. Not because I pity you, it because I believe you’re not strong enough to do it on your own, but because I love you. I want to be here for you.” 

It was easy, he thought, easier with her than with anybody else. He could tell her what he felt, and he would, everyday until the day he died. He wasn’t going to wait till it’s too late ever again. 

“Alright then. Let’s get to this bath before it gets cold.” She finally said, breaking the serene silence that had started to creep in.

“Alright yes.” He carried her till next to the bath tub and, throwing away with a movement of his hands all the soaps that were on it, made her sit on a marble table. He held her shirt and pulled it slightly upwards. She flinched, then smiled and put her hands up to help him take it out. He unbuckled her bra, then carried her a bit allowing her get out of her pants and underwear. 

Her body was covered in red patches, bruises, cuts and dirt. A few scars were crisscrossing her back, and Sergio felt a knot tighten in his stomach.

“It probably looks worse that what it feels.” Tempted Raquel, feeling his sorrowful gaze. He nodded, not saying anything, and delicately picked her up again to help her in the bathtub.

At the contact of warm water on her skin, Raquel closed her eyes and moved her head upwards, moaning in pleasure.

“Is the water okay?” he inquired.

“It’s perfect.” Sergio smiled. 

“Alright.” He turned on the water and carefully wet her hair, making sure not to get too muchin her eyes. Sergio added some shampoo on his hand and begun massaging her scalp. Raquel exhaled deeply, a shiver of pleasure running through her body. 

“Would it be alright if I call a doctor that I know to check up on you tomorrow? Just to make sure you’re okay...” asked Sergio, hesitating on his choice of words. Raquel looked at him tenderly.

“I.. sure, why not. Even if I don’t think any uh... permanent damage was done.” A twisted grimace flew over her face.

“It’s alright we don’t need to think about that now.” Sergio quickly supplied.

“No it’s fine I.. I need to. Pretending like nothing happened.. it always makes things worse” Sergio only nodded. 

“How did you find me?” Asked Raquel.

“I ... After the end of the heist, I had planned to stay in Spain a bit longer to well, avenge you or something of the sorts.”

“Avenge me?”

“Well uh yeah” he fixed his glasses on his nose. “I-I thought you were dead so I had started looking into all the people involved to make them pay.” 

Raquel looked at him in awe, but didn’t say anything. What could she say anyway?

“And as you were looking into them you stumbled upon me?”

“Something like that. I noticed that Alicia Suarez had visited a prison, and that your ex-husband visited it regularly and so I had someone hack into the camera and...”

“Wait were you also stalking my ex-husband?” She had felt a primal fear arising in her stomach at the mention of the man, but had tried to keep it under control.

“Well I- I know he had nothing to do with your supposed death but I thought that he deserved just as much to be hurt for what he did to you I don’t...”

“I’m not blaming you.” Interrupted Raquel. “You keep surprising me, that’s all.” Sergio looked confused but smiled as she approached her humid lips towards his. He kissed her lightly and she smiled back at him. 

“So you say you hacked in the security cameras... you-you saw me in there?” Sergio didn’t lie to her. Her face darkened.

“I... you saw everything?” He passed a hand behind her shoulders.

“The camera would always cut when someone came in, so no, I didn’t... I didn’t actually see any of it.” She nodded, not saying anything. “But, I saw you.. sitting there. For hours. And... you would look worse every day, and I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t do anything Raquel. I left you there for over a month I’m so sorry, Raquel I’m so sorry.”

His hand tightened on her shoulder as he was expressing to her the guilt that was plaguing him. She held his hand. 

“I was so afraid, Sergio, so afraid. Everyday, I didn’t know what was coming. They made me lose track of time, leaving for five minutes and telling me hours had passed, leaving for days and telling me it was just one hour. I... I didn’t know what to do. I know we had a plan for situations like that but you thoughtI was dead and I was so tiered... They had me convinced that I would never get out of there alive.” She inhaled shakily and looked at him. “But you came for me Sergio. I don’t care if it took you one month or one year, you came for me. You saved me, and you have nothing to be sorry for.” Sergio looked her in the eyes.

“I am not going to let anything happen to you again. I love you.” She wiped away the traitorous tear that had escaped her left eye.

“I... I love you too.” Sergio Marquina felt the world moving around him. He had known that she loved him, she had proven it time and again, but hearing her saying it, hearing her looking him in the eye and saying it... it was a feeling he never knew existed. He held her face and admired her, and her small finger wiped a tear from his cheek. 

“The water’s getting cold.” He finally said as he saw her shivering. “Let’s get you out of here.” He brought her a robe and carried her back on the bed. 

They sat down, their bodies pressed once again against each other. He traced the new scars on her face, following the crisscrossing of lines and bruises all over her body. She let him, only curling closer to him each time she felt like he was going to take away his hand. 

After a long while, a knock sounded on the door. Raquel flinched and looked curiously at Sergio. “It’s room service.” He said. “I didn’t know what you’d like so I... basically ordered the whole menu.” He continued as he opened the door to let them in. Raquel laugher when she saw the quantity of food entering the room. 

“That’s... a lot of waste.” 

“Nothing is ever wasted on you.” She chuckled again.

“But, food waste? Saving the planet?” He was always the one to advocate a eco friendly minimalistic diet to help fight against climate change, and she did would miss the occasion to tease him about it. Noticing the wicked smile on her lips, Sergio felt his heart melt.

“You have saved the planet enough last month. You deserve this.” The people who brought the food left the room after Sergio gave each of them a fair amount of money, and he walked towards the trolleys. 

“So, my lady, what do you want to eat today?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea when I’ll post the rest, I’ll try not to be too late imao anyway there’s not much left, basically more fluff and a hopefully very romantic end we’ll see thank you for everyone reading and commenting and leaving kudos I love you 💕💕


	7. Sunset and sand

Two weeks later, in Palawan

Raquel’s wet, dark hair was resting heavily on her shoulders, as the wind blew past it without stirring it. Her feet were dangling precariously over a heap of rocks as she was staring at the sunset. The corners of her eyes tightened, she revelled in the warmth and slight burn the sun was projecting unto her eyes. There was a faded taste of salt lingering in her mouth, and a few crystals of it left on her skin, especially around her bathing suit. She felt a familiar presence next to her and broke her focus for a while to see Sergio sitting down, keeping his feet tucked safely under him and away from the little cliff. A faint smile flew over her face as she moved closer to him. He passed his hand around her shoulders and felt the corner of his mouth nudge upwards as she cuddled her head on his chest.

The rhythmic rise and fall of Sergio’s chest were music to Raquel’s ears as she sat there, almost hearing his heart. She could feel his hand moving over her body, caressing her skin in a slow reassuring manner, and at the moment could think of absolutely nothing else. Not a single movement could be noticed, and the two of them sat there.

“Allowing Paula to sleepover at her friend’s wasn’t such a bad idea after all” sighted Raquel after what felt like an eternity of bliss. She had been incredibly reluctant to let her daughter out of her sight for the last two weeks since they had arrived. Not that Paula complained: she too did not want to spend a moment away from her mother. But it did feel good when they settled down in a comfortable life and sent her to school.

She has missed Sergio terribly and loved how they’d spend so much time together. Right now, they were going to sit there for as long as they wanted, enjoying it. She didn’t want to talk and knew he’d respect that. She felt him stirring under her head and looked up to face his eyes.  
His eyes lower to meet hers, and in a machinal movement, he fixes his glasses on his nose. Not knowing what caused the sudden awkwardness, Raquel inquired.

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he moved Raquel’s head from him and stood up. Tension bubbled in Raquel’s chest. She reluctantly pushed herself up on her feet, and her delicate fingers lingered on Sergio’s face.

“What’s going on?” She asked again. She was breathing slightly more heavily, and her nostril flared in anxiety, fearing the worse.

“ I-“ he began “ I need to tell you something really important. I know it’s still early, and you’re still recovering, but I can’t hold it back  
anymore.”

“Well go on then.” She answered her lips slightly pursed. “You’re making me anxious with all this stalling” she awkwardly giggled.

“Yes, I- Alright. Raquel these past two weeks with you have been absolute heaven. I could not imagine spending my time anywhere but near you. The year we shared before all of this happened was what I want my life to look like. Raising Paula, helping your mother, you’re the bravest woman I know. And you’ve been through so much, and I hate myself I- there’s no way for me to express how much I hate myself for taking so long to come to you. Raquel-“ he paused and held her hand “I love you.”

Her eyes looked as if they were tearing. He felt her grip tighten on his hand.

“I love you more than anything in the world Raquel. I love the way you laugh, the way your eyes get all wrinkly when you smile, I love your discrete but gorgeous nose piercing, the way your hair softly bounces when you laugh. I love your strength and the infinite goodness you have in you. I want to spend every day of my life next to you.”

He fell to his knees, still holding her hands. His suit, usually always perfectly clean, was now covered in the sand that he so hates. But he didn’t seem to mind as he plunged his hand into his pocket and took out a box.

His trembling fingers lingered on the lid before slowly opening it, allowing the setting sun to shine on a diamond ring.

And, at last, he found the right words to fill the calming silence of the beach.

“Raquel Murillo, will you marry me?”

She didn’t answer. Not for a while. He shifted anxiously.

“I’m- I’m sorry if I put you in an uncomfortable position, I understand why you wouldn’t want to now, I-I was inconsiderate, and I apologize...” she quickly interrupted his rambling by pulling him up.

“Of course I want to marry you, you daft prick! I was just surprised, to say the least! Your whole demeanour looked like you wanted to break up with me and...”

It was his turn to interrupt her with a kiss. His back welcomed the feeling of her hands curling up around it as he did the same with hers. He held her tight, almost fearing that she would vanish from his fingers if he’d let her go. At last, he broke the kiss to pass on her pale finger.

“So a multi-millionaire such as you would settle with living with a kid and a sick grandmother?” She teased. “You’d do that for me?”

He chuckled, happy to see her smile.

“Oh Raquel, what wouldn’t I do for you...”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Just to say thank you so much for sticking along even if it took me like four months to finally write a mediocre 900 word epilogue, but I'm so happy to have managed to finish a fic! Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and I look forward to eventually get the motivation to write some more!


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